Home is essentially a cross between Second Life and Nintendo’s Mii avatars. PS3 users will get their own customizable avatars and virtual homes with which they can go online, chat with and host friends, find players for online gaming, buy and show off clothing and decorations, accumulate game trophies, and other social gaming activities.
The service itself will be free, but clothing, furniture, and other Home toys will be sold through microtransactions. Home looks like it could be what PS3 owners have been waiting for: A coherent online service that lets users communicate with each other. On paper, it sounds pretty sweet. It takes the personalizing of Nintendo’s Miis and the connectivity and sense of accomplishment of Microsoft’s Xbox Live gamer tags and achievements and ambitiously mixes them with aspects of Second Life. Home seems like a deep, complex system that could be very fun.